How to Protect Your Medical Privacy

Josey1

How to Protect Your Medical Privacy Wes Vernon, NewsMax.comTuesday, Jan. 22, 2002 WASHINGTON - Privacy in the U.S. is a joke. That is rapidly becoming the consensus. But there are specific steps you can take to protect your confidential information, particularly your medical records.Well over half of the American people believe their private records, especially those containing medical information, are widely shared by many who have no business having access to them.A Gallup survey last year showed 61 percent of Americans are that concerned their personal records might be available to others without their consent. That concern is believed to be even stronger today, considering the wake-up calls we have had on privacy issues since then.Last fall, BusinessWeek magazine reported the biggest privacy worry among Americans is the fear that employers (current or prospective) may learn of an embarrassing or expensive medical condition.Robert Gellman, a privacy consultant in Washington, told the magazine that sometimes "all an employer has to do is ask the insurer - which it pays - which employees are responsible for the leap in prescription drug use."The BusinessWeek article says that "a new privacy rule will make it illegal for health providers and insurers to improperly release patients' medical details without their consent." Health providers and insurers have until April 2003 to comply. Small insurance plans have until April 2004.But NewsMax.com last year conducted its own page-by-page, line-by-line study of the new privacy rule and found it convoluted and sadly deficient. Much of that deficiency is shielded by gobbledygook. In fact, under the new "privacy" regulations promulgated by Bill Clinton just weeks before he left the White House, medical providers will be forced to "digitize" - or place on computer files - every citizen's medical records. And organizations like the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) are crying foul. They say enough loopholes exist that will give government bureaucrats, with just a few computer keystrokes, access to all of your medical records. Also, as BusinessWeek acknowledges, the new rule does nothing to protect information gathered by life or disability insurance companies or to curb marketing companies that already have your personal data or can get it from nonprotected sources.Bluntly stated, under the new "privacy" rules a person's medical conditions can be shared by physicians, HMOs and other health organizations with marketing firms that may want to contact you to sell products related to your condition.What to DoBeth Givens, director of the San Diego-based Privacy Rights Clearing House, says you can protect much of your privacy. She and other consumerists suggest the following precautions:Don't tattle on yourself on marketing surveys, product registration cards and forms for free health screenings.Think before registering on health websites or dialing toll-free numbers to ask about a new drug for an illness.Consider paying out-of-pocket for treatment when privacy is desired.Talk to your doctor and pharmacist about their privacy procedures. In fact, Givens says, one of the most important things you can do as a patient is to make it clear to your doctors and pharmacists how important discretion is to you. Ask how your information is handled, she advises.Edit the waivers on insurance forms so only information necessary to process your claim is released.Send in those "opt-out" forms from financial institutions (including insurers) that block information from being shared with third parties. That way, you can limit disclosure to outside companies. The opt-out forms may be confusing. But if you want to protect your information, you should take the time to wade through them. Only a tiny percentage of consumers has done so thus far.Study the laws of your state to find out how or if they protect your information. Bottom line is you can't be too careful in protecting your privacy. Once the medical information is out, you can't get it back. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/1/21/192703.shtml